


Infinity Ends

by AriesDraco



Category: Naruto
Genre: Between Orochimaru and Kabuto if that's your thing, Gen, No ships in here, Post-infinite-tsukuyomi, There is a kiss in there, pretty gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2016-01-20
Packaged: 2018-05-15 04:12:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5770840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AriesDraco/pseuds/AriesDraco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And they all wake up, some relieved to be returned to the real world, some accepting of dreams that cannot be and some simply crying and wishing to return.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Infinity Ends

The illusion was lifted and they all woke up.

He stared into the sky, slowly registering that it was daylight. Judging from the state of the battlefield, the so-called infinite tsukuyomi spanned about as much time as a good night of sleep, at least, out here in the real world. He could no longer sense his Edo Tensei summons, which meant that there were probably even more loopholes in that half-assed jutsu. Idly, he wondered if he wanted to conduct further research on the jutsu, to iron out the kinks. Seemed like too much work, though...

"Orochimaru-sama?"

"What is it, Kabuto?"

"What do you intend to do now?"

"Kabuto, I was under the impression that you have found your own path to walk?" 

Kabuto smiled up at him. "I know exactly what I intend to do. But how about you? Everyone thinks you're dead, most of your hideouts have been dismantled or abandoned, and I will shortly be leaving you for good."

"A pity," he said with no small amount of sincerity. 

Around them, more and more people were shaking off the after effects of the genjutsu and returning to the reality of the battlefield. The fighting was done, obviously, but ahead lay the task of tending to the wounded and the dead. He could already hear the shouts and the crying.

Kabuto had gotten up and was looting the nearby nearby bodies for an alliance headband. 

"You might want to stick with your own clothes," he noted to his former subordinate. "If you are intending to start being useful to them before turning yourself in. I doubt they would take kindly to any indication that you've been messing with their dead."

"Yes, I suppose it would look too suspicious if I turned up looking like a Konoha jounin," conceded Kabuto easily, sticking with just the headband. "But it is rather unfair that you know my mind, but still haven't answered my question."

"I have no obligation to be fair to you." In spite of the words, his tone was light.

"I am merely expressing my concern for you, Orochimaru-sama."

"If you're so concerned, would you consider coming back? This new body is quite unlike anything else I've acquired before, and you've already started research on white Zetsu. Wouldn't you like to help me study it some more?"

But he already knew the answer. He didn't even need to see the look on Kabuto's face, that momentary temptation giving way to a soft, sad determination. Kabuto was a sentimental child, after all. 

"Come here," he said, motioning to the child. 

"You're not going to alter my memory, are you?" Such a clever boy too. It really would be a pity to lose him. "Give me some credit. I know how to hide things when necessary."

It was true. Kabuto had spent his entire life as a spy, and an excellent one too. And he could trust that Kabuto wouldn't say too much about his works. He could ensure that too.

"You must be well prepared," he noted wryly.

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama."

"Come here, then."

Kabuto didn't look convinced. It couldn't be helped, he supposed. A cautious subordinate was a good one by dint of lifespan. Lackeys didn't live long when he got impatient, which was a bad habit that Kabuto occasionally gave him grief about. 

"You're smiling. That can't be good."

"I was thinking about how to say goodbye. It's not often that I part on good terms with someone."

"Heh, why do I have the feeling, this your first time?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Kabuto." 

Regardless, the white-haired young man did end up coming over, if warily, like the clever boy he was. There wasn't much of a height difference between them, so it was easy to just lean over and give him a kiss.

A nice, long, deep tongue kiss.

When he pulled away, Kabuto looked shell-shocked. Then pleased, then confused, then completely fucking pissed.

"That was cruel, Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru licked his lips. "What were you expecting, my dear Kabuto? You get to keep your memories, but I can't allow you to tell anyone about them, can I?"

"You picked this up from Danzo, didn't you?" 

"OH GOD, I COULD HAVE GONE WITHOUT THAT MENTAL IMAGE!"

"Please don't imagine unnecessary things..."

Suigetsu looked like he regretted opening his mouth at all when both Orochimaru and Kabuto turned to stare at him, one with frighteningly chill amusement, the other looking like he'd take any excuse to murder someone on the spot. 

"You're not going to kiss me too, are you? I promise I won't breathe a word about your evil plans to anyone, Orochimaru-sama!"

"That's... not how the jutsu works..." Then again, Suigetsu had never been the sharpest tool in the shed. "Besides, you were just an experiment, whereas Kabuto..."

"Ah! I knew it! You two were totally lovers, right?"

He glared at the babbling idiot, putting the full force of his chakra into it, and Suigetsu turned into a puddle of fear.

"I'm going home," said Kabuto abruptly. "Please look after yourself, Orochimaru-sama."

"Aa." The things he took for granted... he watched Kabuto vanish into the battlefield, then turned his attention back to the puddle of water that was trying to crawl away. "And now, for you."

"Y...yes, Orochimaru-sama?"

"Pull yourself together or I will do it for you."

A Suigetsu slowly rematerialised out of the water, reluctantly, warily. "You're not the boss of me."

"No, I am not," replied Orochimaru amiably. "So, what do you intend to do now?"

Suigetsu glanced over his shoulder at the near catatonic Juugo, who seemed to be having a hard time adjusting to coming out of the genjutsu. "Whaddya think happened to Sasuke?"

What indeed. He had a few theories but no particular desire to follow up on them. "Whether he is alive or dead, you'll probably find him where the Hokage is, eventually."

"Sasuke's not dead," interjected Juugo, though it was impossible to know whether he knew or whether he was just expressing his hope.

"W...ell, that's great but we should better lay low for a bit in case he needs us to organise a jail break. Right, that's what we're going to do, lay low for a bit. Ah, but what about you, Orochimaru-sama? You totally scared Kabuto away before you told him."

"Oho? You've been eavesdropping..."

Suigetsu's eyes widened as he flailed. "NO, no, no, it's none of my business, I didn't see you, bye!"

It was definitely amusing. But when they had vanished into the battlefield as well, he was forced to consider, what, indeed, was he going to do now? The sun was shining, people were working, and all he felt like doing was finding a patch of shade in which to curl up and sleep. And dream.

An infinite dream. 

Perhaps the infinity of the jutsu was not in its duration but in its effects.

This was a good time to slip away, when news of the victory was spreading slowly across the battlefield. But that could wait.

He dropped in on her. She didn't even spare him a second glance, but the rest of the ninjas around her understandably freaked out. 

"What do you intend to do now?" she asked him rather impatiently. "Surely you do not intend to take on the entire Shinobi Alliance. Not even you are that stupid."

"I have no particular interest in picking a fight," he replied, holding his hands up in the universal gesture of goodwill.

"Did you come to help then?"

"I'll pass. I do have a reputation to maintain, you know. I just wanted to ask you out for drinks. It's my turn to buy, after all."

She went very still and very silent. "You're long overdue," she said finally. "But it'll have to wait."

"I'll head off first, then, Tsunade."

"Are you going to let him just walk away, Hokage-sama!" cried one of the shinobi he didn't care to look at.

"Do you want to try to stop him?" Tsunade pointed out. "Besides, we have more important things to deal with right now."

He walked out unmolested, smirking all the way, then went to pick up some drinks.

**Author's Note:**

> Am contemplating continuing this, but I shall just leave it as this for now.
> 
> As a point of interest, I was writing this on my phone (again, because who needs keyboards, amirite) and the programme I am using limits me to 5000 characters a page. This was written in 3 pages, with breaks at 2 places in the fic corresponding to when I flipped the page.


End file.
